Are U.S., Israel Ready
To Work With Hamas?

After months of what looked like hardening positions on all sides, the Israeli-Palestinian story shows signs of advancing, though the direction it's taking remains uncertain.

The new Israeli justice minister, Haim Ramon, said this morning on Israel's Army Radio that through the end of this year, "there will be honest attempts to talk to the other side." If that doesn't work, if it becomes clear by then "that we really have no partner, and the international community is also convinced of this," then...